Moms are constantly told to be selfless givers and nurturers all the time — but moms are also human beings with needs of their own. And as any mom who's tried to go to the bathroom by herself with the bathroom door closed can attest, kids are not great at recognizing or respecting their parents' basic needs. So what's a mom desperate to have a little something for herself to do? Get creative — and without any guilt, thankyouverymuch. These 14 moms know that all too well.

1. "These are Mommy's special vitamins."

"I have a private stash of all my favorite treats. After bedtime, I can sneak them no problem, but not so much during the day. My 4-year-old daughter has eagle ears, especially when it comes to the crinkling sound of wrappers being opened. So now whenever she catches me, I tell her that these are Mommy's special vitamins and I can't share them with her because she has her own vitamins. She seems to be fooled so far!" —Marianne F., 37, Martinsburg, WV

2. "I have a 'meeting.'"

"I teach at the school where two of my kids attend. The other teachers think it is funny that my kids have to go directly to the gym in the morning and ride home on the bus after school because I have a 'meeting.' That way, in the morning, I have time to get ready for the day with no interruptions. And in the afternoon, with them on the bus headed home, I head to the gym or store by myself or even to McDonald's for a Shamrock Shake. And then I eat it all by myself!" —Ramona D., 40, Ringgold, GA

3. "I schedule my 'mommy time' on the calendar."

"I schedule my 'mommy time' on the calendar, just like any appointment. Each week I go to the early service at church followed by swimming laps at the gym and then I grab something a treat and a soda at my favorite cafe afterwards. Even though it's 'fun' stuff, I need it to keep my sanity. So if anything else comes up, like a playdate for my kid or a school conference, I just say 'Sorry, I'm already booked at that time and it's super important so I can't reschedule it.' It works great! No one ever questions what my super important meeting is every week." —Mary R. , 32, Westerville, OH

4. "I tell my boss that my son needs me, and then I tell my son he has to leave me alone."

"I do part of my work from home which is stressful enough with kids and sometimes I just need a break — from both work and children. So I tell my boss that my son needs me and then I tell my son he has to leave me alone because I'm answering work emails. What am I actually doing? Zoning out on BuzzFeed." —Pam E., 33, Burlington, Ontario

5. "I took all of my kids to get me a Puka Dog."

"When we were in Kauai last month on vacation, I really wanted a Puka Dog (if you haven't had one, you have never had a real hot dog, they are that good!). Because they're so expensive — $8 for the Puka Dog and $4 for freshly squeezed lemonade — getting some for everyone was out of the budget, especially when I knew my kids wouldn't appreciate them. They think 50-cent hot dogs are amazing, so why waste a gourmet one on their taste buds? The whole trip I tried to sneak off alone to get one, but was never able to make it happen. Finally, on the last day, after doing what everyone else wanted, I took all of my kids to get me a Puka Dog! They watched me eat every single bite! With the help of that sweet pineapple sauce, I didn't feel even the tiniest bit selfish. Although I did get them all shaved ice, so it's not like they were suffering." —Dayna B., 39, Issaquah, WA

6. "'Nope, these are mine!""

"Every year for Christmas, I get a big box of my favorite candies: Sees Rum Nougats. And every year, my kids watch me open the box and eat one, enjoying every last bite. This year, my kids finally knew not to even ask to try one after all the years of me saying, 'Nope, these are mine! All mine!' After working so hard to make sure they get what they what for Christmas, I don't feel the least bit bad about making sure there's a little something special just for me under the tree." — Carol S., 30, Highland, UT

7. "We drink 'mommy juice.'"

"My kids used to get sad every time I took an evening off to go out with my girlfriends. Now I tell them that they are 'mommy's playdates.' When they ask what I do on my playdates, I explain how we drink 'mommy juice' (ahem), play boring 'mommy games,' and eat lots of vegetables. It works, and now they get why my 'playdates' are so important to me and don't fuss as much when I leave." —Taneka C., 37, Westminster, CO

8. "I tell them I'm going to see a documentary about kids in Africa."

"Sometimes I want to go see a movie by myself, preferably one that isn't a cartoon and doesn't have T-shirts promoting it at Target. So about once a month I'll sneak off to the theater alone. When my kids ask to come I tell them I'm going to see a documentary about kids in Africa and I'm probably going to cry a lot so they should stay home. Of course one of the movies I saw was Magic Mike. I might have cried a little… for different reasons." —Melissa J., 29, Dallas, TX

9. "I told her you have to be 18 to go into nail salons."

"Ever since high school, I've loved to get my nails done and make it a point to get a mani every few weeks. My 3-year-old daughter loves my nail art and always wants to come with me, but I'm not paying $50 for someone to paint those itty bitty nails that she'll chew off. When I told her no, she started sobbing. So I told her that you have to be 18 to go into nail salons and they check your ID at the door. Since she doesn't have an ID card, she can't come yet. That made perfect sense to her, I guess, because she doesn't ask anymore. I probably should feel bad but I don't." — Leah F., 26, Miami, FL

10. "I designated a room as my room that no one can enter."

"I have a craft room (AKA: my 'crap room' because it is a constant mess and, let's face it, who has time to craft when you have 4 kids?) that I have designated that as my room that no one else is ever allowed to enter. Not only can I relax in peace, but I can eat my treats to my heart's content without the threat of being caught. I may or may not have 10 Costco-sized bags of dark chocolate-covered pretzel thins up high on the shelves." —Kacy M., 39, San Diego, CA

11. "I told them it's my 'mommy medicine.'"

"I buy special chocolate-covered graham crackers and have 2 or 3 with my afternoon coffee every day as my special treat. When my kids asked if they could have some too them I told them it's my 'mommy medicine' and just for grown-ups." —Micki K., 28, Seattle, WA

12. "I assign my kids the chores I should be doing."

"Sometimes I assign my kids the chores I should be doing but don't want to do. Then I go 'run errands' or do other 'chores' some place they can't see or find me. I use that as my 'me' time to read a new book, visit friends, watch a movie, or do anything but my mom duties. I get a break and they have learned to cook dinner, do laundry, and winterize the yard. Really, it's a win all around!" —Shanna F., 40, Salt Lake City, UT

"I repurposed a Saltine cracker box in the pantry to hide my treats. I took all the crackers out, except for a top layer, and put my treats underneath. My kids all hate Saltines so they never touch the box. They wonder why I love them so much, haha!" —Temple T., 32, Ontario, Canada

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